The Web site TMZ reported this week that comedian Jackie Mason called President Barack Obama a “schvartze” during a performance in New York City on March 12. The term means “black” in Yiddish but is considered derogatory by some.
The New York Daily News reported that Mason’s comment caused some fans to boo and walk out.
“I’m an old Jew. I was raised in a Jewish family where ‘schvartze’ was used,” Mason told TMZ. “It’s not a demeaning word and I’m not going to defend myself.”
The Rev. Al Sharpton reminded TMZ that in 1991, Mason apologized for calling then-New York mayoral candidate David Dinkins “a fancy schvartze with a mustache.”
“At this stage in Jackie’s life and career, he should get our prayers more than our responses,” Sharpton told TMZ. — jta